1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a gripper loom which includes at least one gripper mounted on a rapier insertable into and retractable out of a shed, guides mounted to the side of the shed for guiding the rapier by engaging guide surfaces of the rapier, and guides insertable into and retractable from the shed for also guiding the rapier by engaging guide surfaces of the rapier.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,084 discloses a gripper loom in which a weft yarn is inserted by two grippers into a shed. Illustratively, the grippers are mounted on a flexible rapier. A first gripper moves the weft from one side into the shed as far as its center where a second gripper takes over insertion of the weft and moves the weft to the opposite shed side. The rapiers are inserted into and again withdrawn from the shed by drive means containing a drive gear cooperating with the rapier. The rapiers are held in contact with the drive gears by contact pads. Guides for the rapier are mounted laterally outside the shed between the drive gear and the shed and cooperate with guide surfaces of the rapier which they align in the direction of the shed. Moreover, a plurality of guides insertable into and retractable from the shed are provided to guide the rapier along guide surfaces inside the shed. In this design, the guide surfaces of the rapiers undergo rapid wear. As a result of this wear, rapier guidance is degraded, and hence they cannot be made to enter the shed in a clearly positionally defined manner.